Beach Memories (pre oil spill nightmare)

Hi everyone.  I hope you are enjoying your summer. We start back to school in a little over 4-weeks.  It sure is flying by.

Since we choose to cancel our Gulf Coast beach vacay this year, I wanted to remember our last trip that was filled with fun, sun, & memories. It greatly saddens me to think it might not be safe to bring my child back to the beach for many years.  While I am not a sun goddess by any stretch (my auto immune issues prevent this), I love the sound and smell of the water.

I love watching my son discover and catch the many small creatures living in the sand and water.

I love watching his pride as he releases these small animals back to their watery home.

I love the laughter after a big wave has just swept him off his feet.

I love watching him win ALL the boogie board races against his dad.

Little toes in the sand--there's nothing sweeter.

The wave sneaking up behind him caught him off guard and off of his feet.

Silly, Silly, boy!

The boy can't keep a straight face for nothing - I love that about him!

One of my favorite shots of the day!  Just soaking it all in.

Just seconds before the wave washed his hard work away.

Bye-Bye beach, until......

I read that it takes 3 large bottles of Dawn to clean just one pelican--THREE!!  I am going to find an organization I can donate some Dawn to!

Have you canceled your plans to visit the Gulf Coast beaches this summer? Where are you going instead?  Do tell!

Tena

Fun-Fun Photo Site

I couldn't sleep last night and was trolling the internet (as usual).  I went to a blog, then clicked on another blog, then another, then.... - you know how that happens!  Anyway, I landed on what was the most fun I've had in a while.  Okay, that's exaggerated, but it was fun nonetheless.  Since I am a photographer and have spent thousands of dollars on everthing photography, this fun, fun, and FREE site especially peaked my interest at 2:00 am.

The site is http://photofunia.com/.  Here are some of the cool pics I created - FREE.  You can download them, order prints (these you have to pay for, of course), publish them, etc.  Here are just a few examples.

Me, on the side of a building.

(just ignore the light post stuck up my nose)

           My daughter on the cover.                    My Godchild on the wall of a museum.

My son on Angelina's tank top.

 My 7-year old as Jack Sparrow.




Fun stuff, right?  So the next time you find yourself randomky clicking away or cyber stalking the blogs (or something borderline), give this site a whirl.

Have a great weekend.

Te Amo'

Illustration Friday

I wanted to tell you about something I am participating in.  It's called Illustration Friday. In the future, I will be creating my own creative challenges in different media.  Until then, I highly recommend you participating and checking out this fun site.  Every Friday they post a "topic."  You come up with your own interpretation via any type of media (mixed media, drawing, paint, watercolor, etc.).  It can be a cartoon, abstract, collage, or what ever you're into.  Here is a snippet from their site, including a link:

Illustration Friday is a weekly creative outlet/participatory art exhibit for illustrators and artists of all skill levels. It was designed to challenge participants creatively. We believe that every person has a little creative bone in their body. Illustration Friday just gives a no-pressure, fun excuse to use it. No clients looking for a particular thing. No one judging the outcome of the work. It's a chance to experiment and explore and play with visual art.  So welcome, novices and pros alike. 

It doesn't matter what anyone around you thinks of your art.  So what if your family and friends think it's crap, or just don't understand it.  JUST KEEP CREATING!!  It's an important part of you.  Do it for yourself!  Share your creative expression with others and learn from others.

In order to participate, you will need to upload a link to where your art is displayed.  To accomplish this you either have to have a webite/blog you can create a link to OR post a pic of your art in a free flickr®

 account and post that link on the Illustration Friday site.  It's really simple and you can use your flickr® account to post all your pictures and artwork and share them with your family, friends, etc.  Did I mention that it's FREE?

I look forward to seeing some of your creations posted. Please post a comment and let us know if you participated.  I added a new widget that makes it easier to post a comment--hope you like it.

Te Amo',